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Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Jammy Gooseberry Oatmeal Cookies #CreativeCookieExchange

Sticky gooseberry jam makes these oatmeal cookies even chewier. And everyone knows that a chewy oatmeal cookie is the best oatmeal cookie.

This month’s Creative Cookie Exchange challenge was to use produce that we each have in abundance, wherever we are living right now. The UAE still grows a few things this time of year like okra and eggplant but I just didn’t see using either of those in a cookie. I decided to be adventurous and try a fruit that I had never cooked or baked with before, gooseberries, which are abundant in the United Kingdom this time of year, and are brought in to the UAE in prodigious quantities, at least in my local supermarket. A little research revealed that most gooseberries are too sour to eat uncooked without added sugar, so jam seemed like the logical answer. I’ll share the jam recipe at some point, but meanwhile, feel free to use whatever jam you’ve got handy for these great cookies. Something marmalade-ly with little chunks of fruit would get you closest to the taste of these made with my tartly sweet gooseberry jam.

Gooseberries!

I’d also like to point out that, despite their stickiness, clean up was a breeze thanks to my new silicone mats, a gift of the folks at Kitchen Executive Chef who are trying to spread the word about their great new product. Unfortunately, the mats are out of stock at Amazon right now but, according to a post on their Facebook page, they will be back in stock in just a few weeks.

The Creative Cookie Exchange theme this month is Creative Uses for Summer's Bounty! If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura via email (thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com) and she will get you added to our Facebook group where we coordinate events.

You can also use us as a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts. You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

Cooking for people I love, creating deliciousness out of fresh ingredients, browsing through cookbooks for inspiration, perusing grocery shelves for choice items and writing about my expat life enriched by food. That's what I do here.